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Monday, March 02, 2009 - 4.48 GMT |
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SAARC FMs pledge cooperation to combat
terrorism |
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The SAARC Council of Ministers met in
Colombo on February 27-28 renewed their
commitment to strengthen comprehensive
cooperation among SAARC region to combat and
eliminate all forms and manifestations of
terrorism.
They also affirmed the need to further the
legal regime and institute pragmatic
cooperation to address this issue
effectively.
The Ministers made this pledge in a
Ministerial Declaration on Cooperation in
Combating Terrorism at the conclusion of the
31st Session of the SAARC Council of
Ministers, Colombo under its current chair,
Sri Lanka.
SAARC Ministerial Declaration on
Cooperation in Combating Terrorism
We, the Foreign Ministers of Member States
of SAARC, are deeply concerned about the
continuing scourge of terrorism afflicting
the region which has caused extensive social
disharmony, loss of human life, destruction
and damage to property.
Terrorism poses a serious threat to peace
and cooperation, and friendly and good
neighbourly relations. It jeopardises the
sovereignty and the territorial integrity of
States, while constituting a serious
violation of fundamental human rights.
We renew our commitment to strengthening
comprehensive region-wide cooperation among
SAARC Member States to combat and eliminate
all forms and manifestations of terrorism
and in this context affirm the need to
reinforce further the regional legal regime
and instituting pragmatic cooperation to
address this issue effectively.
We also recognise that our cooperation shall
proceed on the basis of sovereign equality,
mutual respect and the principles of
non-intervention and non-intervention and
non-interference in the internal affairs of
Member States consistent with the SAARC
Charter.
As we meet in Colombo, at the Thirty-first
Session of the Council of Ministers, we
solemnly declare and agree to undertake the
following measures of cooperation:
1. We reiterate our commitment to implement
measures against organising, instigating,
facilitating, financing, fund raising,
encouraging, tolerating and providing
training for or otherwise supporting
terrorist activities. We will take
appropriate practical measures,
administrative and legal, to ensure that our
respective territories are not used for
terrorist installations or training camps,
or for the preparation or organisation of
terrorist acts intended to be committed
against other States or their citizens.
2. We are committed to ensure the
apprehension and prosecution or extradition
of persons connected, directly or
indirectly, with the commission of terrorist
acts, subject to the provisions of our
national laws and our international
commitments towards this end, to extend
cooperation, inter-alia, through rendering
mutual legal assistance.
3. We resolve to ensure that our nationals
or other persons and entities within our
territories that commit or attempt to
commit, facilitate or participate in the
commission of terrorist acts are
appropriately punished.
4. We support the promotion of cooperation
and exchange of information, consistent with
our respective domestic legal and
administrative regimes, improve immigration
and customs control measures to detect and
prevent the international movement of
terrorists and their accomplices, and
trafficking in arms, narcotics and
psychotropic substances or other materials,
intended to support terrorism. And in this
context, we agree to consider the
development of an integrated border
management mechanism.
5. We reiterate our commitment to take
steps, to share expertise and information
about terrorists, their movements, their
support facilities and their weapons,
bearing in mind in particular, the threats
posed to maritime and coastal security and
to share information regarding the
investigation and prosecution of terrorist
acts.
6. We shall contribute to the efforts in the
UN General Assembly for the early adoption
of the UN draft Comprehensive Convention on
International Terrorism.
7. We agree to urgently ratify and
effectively implement the SAARC Convention
on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal
Matters, signed at the Fifteenth SAARC
Summit in Colombo.
8. We reiterate our commitment to
strengthening the SAARC and the global
regime against terrorism and decide to
establish a High-Level Group of Eminent
Experts to review and make proposals to
further strengthen SAARC anti-terrorism
mechanisms, including for pragmatic
cooperation.
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